Privacy Policy

This page explains what this site collects about a visitor, and why. There is nothing to opt out of by making an account, because there is no account: no sign-up, no newsletter and no comments anywhere on the site.

Analytics

This site uses Google Analytics 4 (property G-XMRM64ZBN0), which sets cookies and compiles aggregated statistics about how the site is used — which pages are read, roughly where from, and on what kind of device. Google Analytics does not receive a visitor's name or e-mail address from this site.

Advertising

Some pages carry Google AdSense advertising, which sets its own cookies. Personalised ads are shown only with a visitor's consent where the law requires it (for example under UK/EU rules); otherwise ads are shown without personalisation.

Maps

Landmark and station pages can show a map. The map tiles are OpenStreetMap tiles, and a request for one is made only when a reader actually opens the map — not on every page load. The reader's browser asks this site for the tile; this site fetches it from OpenStreetMap once and keeps a copy, so OpenStreetMap never sees the reader's IP address.

Taxi fare calculator

The taxi fare calculator works on this site's server. The places, date and time you choose are used to work out the estimate and are not stored or sent anywhere else. They appear in the address of the result page, so they are also in the server log described below.

Rain page

The last rain in London page shows Environment Agency rain gauge data that this site's server fetches and stores itself, so reading the page sends nothing about you to the Environment Agency. The dates you choose in its history form are used only to draw the result and are not stored; like the calculator's choices, they appear in the address of the result page and so in the server log described below.

Snow page

The last snow in London page shows airport weather reports that this site's server fetches from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet and the US Aviation Weather Center and stores itself, so reading the page sends nothing about you to them. It has no form and sets no cookie.

Pickpockets page

The pickpockets in London page shows police-recorded crime that this site's server fetches from police.uk once a month and stores itself, together with TfL's yearly station counts, so reading the page sends nothing about you to the police or TfL. It has no form and sets no cookie. Its optional map loads only when you press its button, from this site's own copy of the map library and its own cache of OpenStreetMap tiles, as on the place pages.

Server logs

Like any web server, this site's nginx keeps an access log recording each request's IP address, user agent and the page requested. That log is rotated after 7 days and is used only to run and secure the site — not for tracking or marketing.

The contact form

Using the contact form stores the name, e-mail address, subject and message in this site's database, so the message can be read and, where possible, replied to. The sender's IP address is stored only as a salted hash — a one-way value used to spot abuse — never in the clear, and never alongside a plain IP address anywhere else on the site.